The name of a Texas teenage boy fatally shot outside Arlington’s Lamar High School Monday morning has been confirmed by family members and the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
On Tuesday, the medical examiner’s office positively identified the victim as 16-year-old Ja’Shawn James Poirier.
Police said Monday afternoon that the victim was sitting near the steps outside of the high school just before 7 a.m. when a classmate approached him with a gun and opened fire. Poirier was taken by ground ambulance to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth where he died at about 8:40 a.m.
On Tuesday, Arlington Police confirmed the accused shooter was carrying a shotgun and that shells were found in his backpack when he was taken into custody.
According to the medical examiner’s report, Poirier’s cause of death was shotgun wounds to his head and chest.
A juvenile girl who was near Poirier at the time of the shooting was grazed by the shot or flying debris. She was treated and released from the hospital on Monday.
Poirier’s cousin released his name earlier in the day when he shared an online fundraiser accepting donations to help cover the cost of the teenager’s memorial service.
The victim’s cousin described the teen as someone who made friends easily and said he loved spending time with his family, playing video games and going to sporting events.
Arlington Police are continuing to investigate the shooting and have not yet confirmed a motive.
The classmate accused of killing Poirier is a juvenile, identified only as a 15-year-old male. Arlington Police said Monday that the suspect has been charged with capital murder. If convicted of capital murder, a juvenile can be sentenced to a maximum of 40 years in prison, according to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.
There are two vigils planned for Tuesday evening to try and help the community heal.
Most Blessed Sacrament Church welcomed the public for a prayer vigil at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday. The church is located across the street from Lamar High.
“Anxiety and anxiousness is very normal after a situation like this,” said AISD Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavasos.
The district leader wants to assure students, staff and parents they can expect increased security measures Wednesday and for weeks to come.
“We have security, we have principals, teachers that are focused on receiving the students with counseling support, with discussion in classrooms to make sure that questions are answered and some of those feelings are processed as well,” he said.
There are ongoing questions about police presence on campus following the early morning shooting.
While classes begin at 7:35, the victims and other students were outside the school building by 7 a.m. on Monday.
The school’s resource officers were on their way to begin their 7 a.m. shifts when shots rang out, according to police.
Cavasos was asked if the district will ask for officers to begin their shifts earlier.
“We’re evaluating that. I can tell you that there’s a lot of patrols around our school by the Arlington Police Department as seen yesterday when patrol actually intervened in this situation because they were nearby,” Cavasos said.
It was a patrol officer, police say, who caught the shooter running from the scene.
Two prayer vigils are planned to help Arlington’s Lamar High School community heal after Monday’s campus shooting that left a teenage student dead. Another students is charged with capital murder and more charges are expected.
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